vaccine

Normally it’s those 65 and older who get hit hardest by the flu, but this flu season has been particularly deadly for young and middle-aged adults, causing many more deaths and dramatically higher hospitalization rates than the previous three seasons. The reason is a return of the dangerous H1N1 virus, or swine flu, that caused the 2009-10 pandemic. This particular strain of flu makes people “very sick, very fast, and it kills,” said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) director Tom …

The last flu season was a record-setter – and not in a good way. The season started early and hit hard. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the hospitalization rate for those age 65 and up was three to seven times higher than the previous three seasons, and more children died from the flu during 2012-2013 than in the past eight years. Yet even with the severity of last season’s flu, the CDC …

The following is a guest post by Yolanda Taylor, integrated communication director at AARP. It takes more than an apple a day to keep the doctor away. If you want to age well, maintaining a healthy lifestyle – along with having routine recommended screenings and immunizations – is critical. However, fewer than a third of the 60 million Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 are up-to-date with many recommended preventive services; 44 percent have high blood pressure; and 33 percent are …

The numbers are modest but still alarming: 13 dead, 60 sick, from a new strain of bird flu in eastern China, according to the latest reports. But even though the H7N9 virus so far has not spread outside of China, both national and international health officials worry that it may be just a matter of time before it does – and right now there’s no vaccine to protect against the disease. The New York Times reported on a new analysis by …

Have you gotten your flu shot? ‘Tis the season, it’s not over yet. This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week. You might think that if you haven’t gotten your vaccination by now that there’s no reason. You still should! A vaccination now can still help you against this season’s flu. According to the CDC, flu season usually peaks in February and can last until May. This is still plenty of time to get sick if you haven’t gotten your shot. …

There’s been some cool medical and science stories that have cropped up this week. From a blood cell glucose sensor to a possible vaccine for heart disease, it’s been a pretty interesting week for some heavy topics. Digestible microchips! Of course there’s lots of stories and research out there. These are just a few that stood out. Let’s take a closer look: Your blood knows: Some folks have figured out how to make a blood cell into a chemical sensor …